


You Lost, But You Also Won. - A Pokémon One-shot

by Fancyyy



Series: A Labyrinth of Thoughts (One-shots) [5]
Category: Pocket Monsters | Pokemon - All Media Types, Pocket Monsters: Sword & Shield | Pokemon Sword & Shield Versions
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-10
Updated: 2020-10-10
Packaged: 2021-03-07 17:47:36
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,177
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26931634
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Fancyyy/pseuds/Fancyyy
Summary: Defending his title as the Galar Champion once again, Victor needed to take some time for himself to wind down from the pressure.Eventually, he decided to visit Spikemuth to check on his rival and friend, Marnie.What he didn't know was that this visit would turn out to be something more than he expected.
Relationships: Mary | Marnie/Masaru | Victor
Series: A Labyrinth of Thoughts (One-shots) [5]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1674475
Comments: 8
Kudos: 16





	You Lost, But You Also Won. - A Pokémon One-shot

**Author's Note:**

> To celebrate the upcoming release of Crown Tundra in Sword and Shield, here's a shipping fic in Galar for the readers to enjoy c:

Another challenge done. I walked out of the Wyndon Stadium casually with hands in pockets.

The annual Champion Cup had just ended, and though the challenger made me doubt myself for a few moments, he still had a lot to learn. I secured my spot as the Champion in the end.

I didn't feel like going home today, though. My heart still needed a break from the excitement of battling. And heck, do I know how much attention I'm going to get on the way back. It's nice, usually, but not when I'm trying to calm down.

_Where should I go to take a break...?_

A place popped out in my mind. That place was usually quiet, and not as many people head there during these times due to the atmosphere of the town. At this situation, it's without a doubt the best place to wind down.

_Besides, it's been a while since I last checked on her..._

"Let's head to Spikemuth for today."

  


* * *

  


It had been a while but the atmosphere was still the same as I remembered it. The punk vibe was still concrete and the place was nearly abandoned besides some trainers just milling around.

I headed to the PokéCentre, allowing the nurse to heal my Pokémon. As I about to leave after the nurse returned me the Pokéballs, someone familiar called my name, "Victor, it's been a while."

I looked over and grinned. "Yeah, for sure. How are you, Marnie?"

The young girl nodded, "Just been doing more gym leader work while you've not been around. There've been some interesting happenings here and there, though."

"Let's sit down somewhere and talk about it, then." I smiled, more than happy to chat with my old friend.

Over a small table Marnie shared stories of some incidents that happened around the time she was in Spikemuth, like one time where her Morpeko went on a rampage in a battle, wanting to finish the battle and go have her big meal of the day. Then, suddenly, she changed the subject. "Hey, the Champion Cup just finished today, right?"

"Yeah, I managed to go through."

"As expected, Victor. I was busy during some of the matches, so I could only watch some segments. But as always, you did well." She smiled.

"Thanks." I grinned, "But that final battle did kind of feel lacking, I guess. Sure, he had me worried a couple times, but that was it. He didn't seem as passionate as previous challengers, where I could really feel the heat."

"You sounded like Kabu there for a second. The passion part, I mean." She chuckled, "But I get you. This year's trainers didn't seem as challenging, which sorta disappointed me."

"That's what I get for remembering Kabu's lines. The most iconic challengers for me were the year I became Champion. You and Hop both gave me such a tough time in our battles. I still haven't forgotten those, it was a lot of fun." I smiled, reminiscing.

"Yeah, those were some times. Talking about Hop, how is he doing?"

"Still doing fine as always, doing his research well. Honestly, he's still super dedicated to becoming a Professor."

"We'll be able to call him Professor Hop soon."

"Definitely."

"You didn't participate in this year's Champion Cup, though. Something in your schedule?"

"Y-Yeah. I told you that I was busy to even watch your battles, right?" I swore I heard hesitation in her reply, but I decided to just ignore it.

"It's alright. But it was always fun battling with you while we had the chance." I said.

"Well... yeah, it's a shame." Marnie agreed. Then, she looked at me and asked, "...Why not battle now? Since we're both here and all."

Honestly, I was going to decline the offer, since I was here to relax. But as I formed the words in my head, I saw the determination in her eyes. I couldn't refuse that.

"Sure, Marnie. Let's do it."

  


* * *

  


Marnie seemed to be trying very hard, way harder than any of the times we'd battled previously. I assumed that she just wanted to have a good battle for the both of us, so I did the same.

The battle was closer than I thought and by the end it was down to my Cinderace, against her Morpeko. The two looked at eachother carefully, bracing themselves for a decisive battle with their long time rivals.

"Cinderace, Pyro Ball!"

"Morpeko, dodge and use Aura Wheel!"

The Cinderace kicked the fireball towards the Morpeko but the small figure was able to barely dodge the attack, after which it began rolling towards Cinderace with decent speed. He took the hit well and I commanded him to counter attack, hitting the Morpeko with a Hi Jump Kick.

The super effective attack was dealing a lot of damage, but the Morpeko wasn't giving up yet. As she switched into Hungry Mode, Marnie commanded her to use a Psychic Fangs attack.

The Morpeko dashed towards Cinderace quickly thanks to the speed boost from the previous Aura Wheel attack. However, Cinderace didn't let his guard down, instead following my command to go for a Bounce attack. He jumped high into the air, and landed directly in front of the Morpeko. The Morpeko however, fought back, biting my Fire type. But in doing so she took the full brunt force of my Pokémon's Bounce attack.

"Aura Wheel, Morpeko!"

"Counter with U-Turn, Cinderace!"

The Morpeko rolled towards Cinderace, desperate to land one final attack. Cinderace took the hit and in return kicked her with one of his feet. Then he returned to my side, still standing firm despite panting from the battle.

The Morpeko, though, finally collapsed, unable to battle any further.

Marnie returned her Pokémon without saying a word. From her expression, I couldn't really tell what she was thinking. I felt bad for defeating her, seeing that she tried really hard, but I was just battling like I always do: going all out no matter who the trainer is.

"..." Marnie stayed silent, then suddenly ran past me and out of the town.

"M-Marnie!" I was shocked by her action as I tried to chase after her, but Arceus knows running speed wasn't in my skillset. Within seconds, Marnie had escaped my sight.

"Where could she have ran off to...?" I was worried. Her Pokémon were all too exhausted to aid her were she to encounter a strong Pokémon in the wild.

Suddenly, I realised. And I started running as fast as my legs would carry me.

  


* * *

  


"..." Marnie was sitting silently on a boulder near a cliff, looking at the sea in front of her.

I decided to not disturb her thinking and instead quietly walked towards the boulder and sat beside her. The scenery was even more breathtaking beneath the night sky. This small cliff was less dangerous than it seemed, and Spikemuth was clearly visible below us.

Marnie noticed me eventually, but she didn't say anything, turning away and continuing to lose herself in her thoughts.

"Marnie?" I asked curiously, hoping that I didn't do anything wrong.

"...So you knew where I was after all, huh." She sighed.

"You always come here when things weren't right for you back then. I assumed you kept doing it even after all these years." I slightly smiled.

"...I guess you're right." She remained expressionless, which worried me even further.

"Did I do something wrong?" I asked hesitantly.

"Hm? Why ask that? You just tried your hardest and defeated me in the battle, that's all." Marnie looked at me, confused.

"Well, I was thinking that maybe if I just..."

"...let me win? That wouldn't make me feel any less awful. I would probably have noticed that you weren't trying, and that I wasn't really earning the win. That's nowhere near satisfying, Victor."

"I suppose. But this loss affected you, right?"

"...Just a little bit." She sighed. Then, we stayed silent for a while, looking at the ocean. I could tell she had something to say, so I decided to give her time until she was ready.

Finally, she confessed, "...I lost again."

"Hm?"

"It just felt like when I was one step closer to defeating you, you always found a way to take it back. You're an amazing trainer, Victor, and I envy that sometimes."

"You're a great trainer too, Marnie. You don't have to put yourself down." I tried to cheer her up.

"...But I couldn't catch up to you. All these years, every battle I've had with you resulted in defeat. Sometimes I just thought, 'What was the point anymore?'. But I tried getting a hold of myself and kept training."

She then slightly shook her head, "But I felt like I'd reached my limit. I couldn't improve anymore, and it just made me feel like I was destined to never defeat you. Why do you think that I didn't participate in this year's Champion Cup? All the other years, I would participate no matter how busy I was. This year wasn't even as busy as previous years, but I refused to battle again on the stadium."

 _Are those... tears forming in her eyes?_ She wasn't one to show her emotions that often, not even when she was angry.

"Marnie, losing to me isn't the end of the world... Don't let that affect your passion for battling. That passion in you is what makes your battling so wonderful." I tried comforting her.

She shook her head again, "No, the passion isn't the problem. I still love battling. Even though there are ups and downs, that's what battles should be. Why do you think I'm still a gym leader?"

"Then... what's wrong with losing to me?"

She remained expressionless, but the tears started rolling down her cheeks. I was panicking: I may be good with battling, but I'm not good with girls at all...

I hurriedly took out a tissue and gave it to her. She accepted and wiped the tears away.

"...Thank you, Victor." She seemed to have calmed down a little.

"It's alright... If you don't want to talk about it, it's okay. I don't want you to feel uncomfortable."

Suddenly, she turned her head towards me and tackled me with a hug, my face turning red in surprise. I didn't know how to react, but based on her heavy breathing, I knew there was something that she wanted to say.

After what felt like forever, she finally said it.

"...Don't abandon me, even if I seem weak. Please, Victor?"

  


* * *

  


**Flashback...**

It was the second year of Champion Cup, the first tournament where I tried to maintain my title as the Champion. Marnie, the new Spikemuth Gym Leader, had the opportunity to battle me for the Champion Title. She'd clearly improved a lot from the previous year to get this far. We both went all out, and in the end, I was barely victorious.

After that, we went for a coffee break at the Battle Café. As we enjoyed the treat, she started the conversation, "You're still spectacular as always."

"You too. You trained very hard over the year, Marnie."

"It's been a while since we last met though. This is one of the few opportunities we've had this year."

"Yeah. Unfortunately, being the Champion involves lots of paperwork, meetings and stuff. That wasn't what I signed up for, but it's an interesting experience I guess. Just a bit time-consuming." I smiled.

"Being a gym leader is busier than it seems too. There's always new work here and there every day. I wondered how I didn't notice what my brother was going through back then..." She thought for a moment, but immediately knew the reason, "...It's probably because he was performing in town all the time whenever I saw him."

"Haha, that's probably right." I chuckled.

"Does that mean we're not going to be able to see each other often for the next few years?"

"Probably. I don't see the schedule changing for a good while." There was no change in her face, so I didn't notice her mood shift.

"Well... at least we're still able to sit down and have coffee like this. We can still do this whenever we get the chance."

"Of course! You're one of the friends that got me here. I'll come to Spikemuth and visit you anytime I can, alright?"

"Sounds good." She tried to give me a smile but it didn't work out. She sighed at her failed attempt, which I found it quite adorable.

But over the years the schedule really limited my free time, and I never got the chance to visit Marnie as frequently as I'd promised. However, I still made sure that every year after Champion Cup we'd have our treat at the Café, and sometimes even have a friendly battle.

She was never able to battle me at the stadium again, though. She'd always fall just short in the finals to another gym leader. She didn't show it, but I knew that she was disappointed every time she lost.

Last year we were having our annual chat in the Café after the Cup. She'd grown up and changed quite a lot over the years, but she still retained her stoicism and manners. I, on the other hand, had gotten far more confident than I was during my early Champion days.

"It feels like forever since we got to battle in Wyndon Stadium again," she'd said that day.

"I know, it's a shame. You tried though, and there's nothing to feel bad about." I replied.

"I've missed the feeling of going all out with you during a battle."

"But we always have one or two when we meet, right?"

"It doesn't feel the same. The crowd, the atmosphere, it always gets my blood boiling, and the uncertainties during a tough battle... That's what makes me want to keep doing it."

"Ah, I get what you mean. Don't let that one loss affect you too much, though."

"I-I guess you're right." She was going to say something else, but decided not to after hesitating for a while.

After that, she found another topic to talk about, "Hey, what do you plan on doing during the short break?"

"Nothing much," I replied. "To be honest, the break isn't even a break. There are going to be interviewers bothering me to answer their questions, journalists, photographers and all. The schedule's going to be packed. It's cool being busy, but I really should take an actual break sometime. What about you?"

"I'm planning to visit this region called Alola. It's my first time going to another region, so it'll be exciting."

"That's great! I hope you have a good time there, Marnie." I smiled.

"I-I was hoping that maybe you would be interested in- ah, nevermind." She was going to ask me, but realised I wouldn't be able to clear the schedule during the so-called "break". She let out a small sigh, which made me felt a little bad.

After finishing our coffee, we went outside, where it was raining heavily. While I got my Rotom Phone out to call for a Flying Taxi, I realized that she was shivering from the cold. I lent her my hoodie, which she gratefully accepted with a nod of thanks.

In the end, the Flying Taxi arrived, which we both went in. We were going to head towards Spikemuth first, then Postwick.

The Flying Taxi was slower than usual due to the weather conditions. Marnie, who was sitting beside me, accidentally fell asleep. Her head was resting on my shoulder but I didn't interrupt her. She deserved a good rest after a busy day.

I took the opportunity to look at her. It had been a while since I'd properly spent time with her. How long was it now since we had a hours-long meeting? When we were both still just trainers? It felt like we'd become so separated from each other ever since our careers got so busy. However, she would send me messages often, asking how I was doing and complimenting me for my hard work. I was lucky to have her.

The Flying Taxi landed suddenly, signalling that we had arrived in Spikemuth. Marnie woke up, as we exchanged gazes at each other. I blushed and looked away, embarrassed that I'd been caught watching her asleep. Her face turned slightly red, but she said nothing, thanked the driver and got out of the taxi.

Before leaving, she asked, "I'll see you again soon, right?"

"Yeah, for sure. It's been nice spending time with you, Marnie."

"See you, Victor." She was able to give me a genuine smile. She always struggled to show emotions through her face, so the smile caught me off guard. In a good way. She's beautiful when she smiles.

The Flying Taxi took off, ending my time with Marnie for the year.

  


* * *

  


"W-What are you talking about, Marnie?" I broke the hug slowly, worried about her.

"It feels like my skills have only gone downhill over the years. I worked harder in hope of getting better, but it never worked. I didn't want you to see my vulnerable side, so I just didn't participate in the Champion Cup this year. What if I lose again before being able to battle you?"

"Your skills didn't go downhill... And if you lose again, that's okay. You know I don't mind!" I looked her in the eyes, "Marnie, I didn't stay friends with you because of your skills. It's because of your personality. You always make me feel so comfortable whenever we spend time together, and I need that sometimes. No matter what happens... you're always going to be one of the closest people in my life."

"...You mean it?" She asked, uncertain.

"Of course I do... we've been friends for so many years now. I wouldn't lie to you..." I reassured her.

"..." She stayed silent for a moment. Was what I said enough? Had she recovered?

"Marnie, are you feeling better-!" My question was cut off when Marnie suddenly leaned towards me and gave me a short kiss, My face turned bright red and the sudden realization of what she'd just done hit her. "I-I'm sorry! I didn't know what came to me."

But I knew how I felt the moment it happened. I placed my hands on her shoulders and returned the kiss.

We withdrew and tears fell from her eyes again. I grinned and helped her wipe her tears away. "You're always going to be important to me, no matter what you think of yourself. I love you, Marnie."

"I... I love you too, Victor." She looked at me and I caught a small smile on her face, the same smile that had captured my heart last year. We hugged again, happy to be together again. We spent the rest of the night stargazing and falling asleep beside each other.

  


* * *

  


_Marnie, I just want to tell you..._

_You lost, but you also won._

_What you won... is my heart._

_I love you, Marnie._


End file.
